


Return of the Astro Ambassadors

by momentofchaos



Series: Reuniting a Family [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Astro Ambassadors, Canon Compliant, Domestic Fluff, Family Reunions, Fluff, Post-Season/Series 07, Reunions, Surprises, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:27:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26957311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momentofchaos/pseuds/momentofchaos
Summary: After nine months in space, the 'Astro Ambassadors' (better known as SWORD) are heading back to Earth and reuniting with their family.That's basically it. It's all fluff.
Relationships: Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie & Daniel Sousa, Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie/Yo Yo Rodriguez, Bobbi Morse & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Flint & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Kora (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) & Daniel Sousa, Lance Hunter/Bobbi Morse, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa, Yo Yo Rodriguez & Skye | Daisy Johnson
Series: Reuniting a Family [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055042
Comments: 54
Kudos: 141





	1. Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> This has been in my head since the finale, but the others got written first!
> 
> Chapters should be every other day.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the names of the other agents have been borrowed from other TV shows, let me know if you know them 😉😂

Space was intriguing, Daisy had always thought so. Not in the same way a young Jemma Simmons always had, not to the extent of mapping the constellations on her bedroom wall or working out how many miles away the nearest galaxy was. But the idea of infinite unexplored territory, where no one knew where it ended or began, where there were a million species that were undiscovered by humans. Somewhere where the adventures were unknown and exciting, none of the confines that were found on earth. Having already spent a year exploring the wide open spaces of space for Fitz, it wasn’t surprising that Mack thought she was the best person to lead the first intergalactic Shield team. Not only did she have the experience but whispers of the ‘legendary’ Quake had spread through even the darkest corridors of the galaxy. Despite her initial reservations about the director’s proposal, she had accepted with his reassurances that she could build her own team. And now nine months into their mission, and hurtling back towards Earth, Daisy couldn’t help but get sentimental, looking back at how much had changed in her life since they had boarded Zephyr 3.

It had been a proactive plan to bring Kora on board for the specialised Shield team, officially called Sentient World Observation and Response Department or SWORD (Daisy had rolled her eyes hard at this, why were Shield obsessed with acronyms anyway). The recruiting of Kora had various advantages, not only would her powers possibly come in useful now she had more control over them, but May had taken her under her wing for six months and had become her SO as the Academy started up, training her in hand to hand combat as well as the art of flying, making her the perfect Zephyr pilot. The third reason was that it allowed Daisy to bond with her sister, while they both had the missions to concentrate on at the same time, so it didn’t seem too forced. They had grown a lot closer since Kora had brought Daisy back to life, but Kora moved with May to be closer to the academy for a while and Daisy was settling back into life with Sousa by her side. Being in close quarters together on the Zephyr meant that her and Kora had had plenty time to learn about each other and how to actually be a sibling, which neither of them had much previous experience of.

One of the things Daisy had been most nervous about when Mack handed her the assignment brief was how it would affect her relationship with Daniel. After that ‘final’ mission together with the original team, Daniel had made it known he wanted to have a break from Shield to experience a somewhat normal life in the 21stcentury. It was then decided that as Mack was in the process of reassembling the agency, Daisy also had the time to take a break, with the occasional consulting when Mack or May needed her.

“Go and live some life, Tremors. You deserve a bit of downtime.” Mack had said to her when everything had settled down, and everyone had begun to split up.

So that’s what she had done. She rented a small apartment not too far away from the new HQ, and spent her days introducing Daniel to everything he’d missed. She wasn’t quite sure when she’d begun to call Sousa Daniel, maybe around their first proper date. Ever the square, he’d made sure he was the perfect gentleman, wanting to ‘court’ her properly. Dates to museums and movies had led to more, the bonds forged between them in between time loops and battles with space robots growing in strength. She’d assumed that the instant attraction she’d felt to the man would fade over time, but waking up to find him beside her, his usually carefully styled hair falling into an unruly mess of natural curls, she found the flame she held for him only growing. It was unexpected, after Lincoln had sacrificed himself, she resigned herself to the fact that a part of her heart would never be whole, but as Daisy allowed herself to get closer Daniel, the idea dawned on her. She wasn’t replacing Lincoln, what she felt for Daniel was different from what she felt for him. Her and Lincoln had been two wrecking balls, charging their way through their problems no matter how destructive, joined by the love and admiration they felt for each other. Daniel Sousa was not the same. He was a sea of calm consideration that supported her in the only way he knew how, backing her up and allowing her to make her best decisions and moves for her. It was the way he immediately knew when she needed him to just hold her after a nightmare or how he could practically pick up on what she wanted to eat for dinner before the thought had even formed in her mind. He was the collected calm to her raging storm, that solid ground she could land on when she fell, that was there to pick her back up every time, and Daisy couldn’t help but feel like she was falling in love with him. Which was why she was worried about the SWORD assignment. She shouldn’t have been. As soon as she brought it up to him, he was incredibly supportive and proud of her, knowing she deserved it, without a second thought to himself.

“But what about this- what about us?” she had asked, worriedly.

“You can’t turn this down Dais, this would be so good for you.” Daniel said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear as her eyes fell to the floor.

“You could come.” Daisy said, after a moment, “I need to pick a second in command, and as much as I love Kora, she’s not ready. If you wanted to of course, I know you’re still acclimating to the new time and everything, I’ll just-” she rambled, shifting slightly from one foot to the other, eyes not firmly fixed on inspect the wooden floor of her apartment living room. It wasn’t till Daniel put a finger under her chin and pulled her into a tender kiss that dissipated the tension she had been holding in her body.

“You want me to come to space with you?” he whispered as he pulled away from her, his arms wrapping around her waist, a look of pure childlike excitement on his face.

“I’d love it if you came with me.” She murmured, crashing her lips into his again.

And there it was, two months later the three of them had boarded the new Zephyr 3, along with Daisy’s handpicked team of specialists and medical staff, based off of some of May’s recommendations and Kora’s own knowledge of agents she’d met at the academy. Kora was beyond glad to be going back to space and was equally excited by the fact that Daisy was going to be taking over from May as her SO in charge of the training while they were away. May being the head of the academy also ensured that Kora would still be on track to graduate from the academy alongside her current classmates in a year’s time. So, this weird little family Daisy had collected set out into space.

The work was hard, making peace with several hostile alien races wasn’t light work and there had been several very dangerous situations. There had also been the chance to join forces with Carol Danvers, which Daisy had enjoyed immensely. Between missions, the trio’s time had been filled with giving Daniel and Kora a proper movie education as well as debates over the correct rules of Monopoly between the sisters, which had resulted in Daniel actually threatening to throw the game out into the vacuum of space. Movies were something the girls tended to agree on, even if it was to a somewhat obsession with the pair of them. It wasn’t that Daniel hated Hamilton, he’d even managed to download the soundtrack to his mobile phone with very little assistance from his girlfriend, but there came a point after countless screenings and Kora and Daisy rapping Cabinet Battles at each other around the Zephyr that even Daniel ended up annoyed. And if he found himself singing ‘Wait for It’ in the shower, that was for him and only him to know. Music was something that Daisy had had to ease both of them into slowly, the throbbing electronic music of current times was a vast departure from what they were both used to, although Kora seemed to appreciate it slightly more than Daniel did. He stuck to his collection of vinyl records and record player that Coulson had gifted him before they left Earth. A few nights had even been spent trying to teach Daisy to dance as he had before the war, one of the many activities he hadn’t been able to do on his old prosthetic. He relished in the free movement the newer model designed by Simmons had gifted him. What had scuppered his romantic dancing plans was that Daisy had no dancing skills whatsoever.

One thing Daisy hadn’t expected was the close relationship that had developed between Daniel and Kora. It made sense to think about, both the only people to be pulled out of their own time and dropped into the weird and wonderful 21st century. Their similar sense of humour led to inside jokes, which Daisy was often the subject of, which led to stifled laughter between the unlikely pair. And they helped each other learn about different areas of modern life, Daniel taught Kora to cook and Kora taught Daniel about new technology as she learned about it through the academy. But more than that, Daniel was also the only other person, other than Daisy, that could talk to Kora if she was having one of her ‘bad days’. He would listen, and support and make her tea just the way she liked it, until she felt a little better and would offer him a small smile. Daisy had never been more grateful for him being there for both her and her sister.

One team bonding night, they managed to find out that Agent Booth, one of the up and coming specialists on board, had been a teenage ballroom dancing champion. Upon learning this Daisy had immediately ordered a demonstration (an abuse of her power she was perfectly happy with), and within minutes the furniture had been moved to the edges of the lounge area and music was softly playing through the speakers in the ceiling, and Booth was twirling Agent Aldrin around the floor in time with the music. Daniel stood at one point and Daisy immediately shrunk back in her chair at the thought of falling over her own feet with him anywhere but inside her bunk. Surprisingly it wasn’t her that Daniel approached, but instead he offered his hand to Kora, who was suddenly glaring at him, very reminiscent of the one Daisy had adapted from May’s style.

“C’mon Kora, I’ve not danced properly since before the war, and your sister has two left feet.” Daniel said with a cocky smile to his girlfriend, who gasped in mock offence. She had been getting better, slowly. “You told me your Mom made you take dance classes, let’s see those moves.” Kora rolled her eyes as she stood up and took Daniel’s hand as they crossed to a free space in the room. Watching as they moved in perfect time to the music, gracefully gliding across the floor in what seemed to be a waltz, Daisy noticed Kora begin to relax into the movement of the dance, a small smile appearing on her face as Daniel spun her around. They both laughed as the music quickened and Daniel looked at ease as the footwork became more complex. Daisy relished at seeing them both so happy. There was so many ways this adventure could have gone, but she was more than glad everything so far had worked out. After a while Daniel collapsed onto the couch beside Daisy, stealing a sip of her beer as he did, his free hand wrapping around her waist. Daisy met his eyes with her, staring in those soft brown orbs that made her heart melt a little. That was the night Daisy confessed her love for Daniel, in the privacy of her bunk, in-between kisses and gentle touches that sent tingles through her body. She couldn’t kid herself anymore and he expressed the same sentiment, before he picked her up and their night continued.

Other team bonding nights were spent playing cards or watching movies, or just talking about anything and everything. One thing Daisy noticed was the attention Kora seemed to pay to Agent Barragan, who was the medical support for the team. Kora would watch subtly from a distance, as Barragan would interact with the team and Daisy couldn’t help being the annoying older sister.

“You could ask her out y’know?” Daisy said one day when she had decided to join Kora in the cockpit, both of them gazing out into the vacuum of endless space.

“Who?” Kora said, eye widening slightly and turning to her sister so fast, causing Daisy to release a giggle.

“Barragan. I can tell you like her.” Kora had come out to Daisy nervously when they’d still been on Earth. Of course, Daisy was unfussed and supportive, reminding the technically younger woman that times had changed, and things had gotten better in terms of LGBTQ+ rights in the 21st century.

“I don’t- I mean…” Kora had stammered, trying to calm the blush that had immediately risen in her cheeks. Daisy continued to tease her over the next few months, it was an ongoing thing, but Kora had decided that asking someone out while on a 9 month long mission trapped in a space plane, may not be the smartest idea. So, Daisy had relented, slightly.

They’d battled some aliens, made peaceful and amicable connections with others all in the name of preventing any other attacks on humanity that could mean the end of Earth as it is now. And yet here they were, mostly in on piece, preparing to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Everyone was packed up, personal belongings stored in matching Shield duffle bags that had been stacked by the cargo doors. Everyone was taking seats in the control room, buckling in in case re-entry was bumpy. They all had had experiences that justified this in the past few months. Daisy took a seat in the cockpit beside Kora, glancing back at Daniel who was sat just behind the sisters. He was staring out of the window, still in awe of seeing Earth from this vantage point. One of the things that made Daisy fall in love with him, was his genuine excitement and pure glee at anything they saw in space, and that hadn’t faded between the countless planets and space bases they had visited over the past nine months. After spending a year in space looking for Fitz, Daisy had made sure to schedule missions for shorter time periods, for the sake of team morale. She knew what it was like to miss family and friends for too long, and she wouldn’t let that happen on her watch. It had been six months since the original team had done their annual catch up, and she couldn’t wait to see them all again.

Here they were, descending towards Earth, a vast sea of blue coming into sight below them. Daisy pushed her headset over her ears and spoke into the microphone.

“This is Agent Johnson with SWORD-136 requesting permission to land at SHIELD HQ. Do you copy?”

“We copy Agent Johnson, permission granted.” A familiar voice replied. “Welcome Home Tremors.”


	2. A Nice Change of Pace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone rushed to the edge as the cargo door opened. Daisy looked down the row in which her team stood, and she was immensely happy that these were the people she had selected all those months ago. The cargo door seemed to take an age to open, but when it did a familiar face was stood at the base to welcome his agents home.
> 
> Or: Mack, Yo-Yo and Flint reunions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the love on the first chapter, this one's a bit shorter because of the narrative but here we are!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

The team gathered by the cargo door after a successful landing, and Daisy clambered up on to a storage box, clapping her hands together to get the attention of her excited team.

“Guys, you’ve all done Shield, and me, proud up there. Thank you for joining me for the strangest show in the galaxy.” A small round of applause went around, and everyone promised to keep in touch until they heard of their next mission, as Daniel offered Daisy a hand as she jumped down of the box. Everyone rushed to the edge as the cargo door opened. Daisy looked down the row in which her team stood, and she was immensely happy that these were the people she had selected all those months ago. The cargo door seemed to take an age to open, but when it did a familiar face was stood at the base to welcome his agents home.

Mack had stepped up into his role of director perfectly. He’d successfully got the agency reinstated with most governments, but kept everything very discreet, airing on the side of caution as to not repeat past mistakes. Daisy watched as the team disembarked Z3, Mack greeting everyone by name and asking pointed questions to each one. Kora left with the team, promising to catch up with Daisy and Sousa when she had returned her items to her base bunk before they headed home. Once everyone left, leaving only Daisy and Daniel stood on the Zephyr, Mack let his professional façade fall and he smiled widely at Daisy as she ran down the ramp and into his arms.

“Missed you Tremors. Not been the same without you here to shake things up.” Mack said as he wrapped his arms round his inhuman sister, lifting her off the floor as he did so. Both of them missed the days when they were partners, but their lives had changed for the better since then, and they were both happy where they were. Daisy let go of Mack as she heard Sousa coming down the ramp carrying both of their bags. “Sousa, it’s good to see you man.” Mack shook hands with the man out of time, “How’s space been treating you?”

“Eh, can’t complain. It’s incredible, so much to see and learn about it all. Plus, Quake here keeps us all safe so…” Daniel grinned widely as Daisy rolled her eyes at the nickname.

“Mack, one day I’m gonna make you pay for telling him about the whole ‘Quake’ thing. He still hasn’t dropped it.”

“Hey, he would have found out eventually.” Mack said holding his hands up in mock surrender. “Now, I’ve scheduled debrief for tomorrow, but I assume you two are in need of some proper Earth food before you head home?” Daisy nodded her head viciously. “Come for dinner at ours? Yo-yo should be landing any minute and its Friday, so we’ve got a teenager coming back to the house. We could stop by the academy on the way?” Both of them agreed easily, the idea of seeing their friends and eating anything that didn’t have to be stored in a plane for months on end.

“Oh, see we get to officially see the Mackenzie-Rodriguez house I’ve heard far too little about?” Daisy said quirking an eyebrow at the man who she considered a big brother.

“Yes Tremors, you get to see the house. I’ve finally finished building the porch, so we’re accepting visitors now.” Mack shot back. “Come with me, it’s still a little early to go get the kid, and May won’t have finished classes yet. I’ve not told anyone you’re back yet, just in case you wanted to surprise them. I assume you had the same idea?”

“You know me so well. I’ve got the perfect plan to get May.” Daisy said, shouldering her own bag as they headed towards the rest of the base, a mischievous grin shining on her face. The base had been almost finished when they left, but all the construction debris was gone now and it looked to be in full working order, as countless agents bustled about, glancing at their boss occasionally as they made their way across the hangar. Mack carried himself differently now, then he had on Zephyr 1 with their original team, he stood tall and proud, looking every bit the tough commanding officer that was needed in his role. It suited him, Daisy thought to herself.

As if on cue, a Quinjet entered the hangar and landed beside the Zephyr, the door opening immediately to reveal Yo-yo, Piper and Davis. It was a happy reunion of old team members, hugs all around and Daisy being tempted into doing a few missions with them while she was on Earth. Their specialised Strike team dealt mainly with Inhumans and the majority of those in need ended up going to training and therapy at Afterlife 2.0 that Daisy and Kora had help re-establish as a safe space for struggling Inhumans. Piper and Davis were rushing off to see Davis’ daughter in a school play, so they didn’t chat for long, but before they even entered the main base Yo-yo and Daisy were deep in conversation, catching up on their recent respective missions.

“Mack and I do have something to share though.” Yo-yo said when they reached Mack’s office, and turning to face Daisy and Sousa, who hadn’t been more than two feet apart since they’d disembarked Z3. Bumping shoulders with each other, Mack and Yo-yo both held up their left hand to reveal matching wedding bands, smiles bright and excited on their faces.

“No way! You guys!” Daisy said, surging forward to congratulate them both, Daniel clapping Mack on the back and telling him he was a lucky guy. “I can’t believe it!”

“We eloped 5 months ago, and then we officially adopted Flint.” Mack said, happier than Daisy had seen him in a long time. He had a family of his own, just like she did. He’d always be like her big brother, but it was nice to see him so at peace. “We didn’t really tell anyone, just took Flint and May with us to be witnesses. Coulson somehow turned up at the courthouse at the right time, which was weird because I thought he was in Portugal.”

“At least you finally asked Mack, took you long enough. You had that ring picked out years ago.” Daisy said, thumping his arm lightly.

“Oh, really Turtleman?” Yo-yo said raising an eyebrow at the new information. Daisy looked at Mack with a smirk.

“Yeah, well between killer robots and time loops, I wanted to wait for the right time. And then with everything…” Mack defended himself, floundering slightly under his wife’s hard stare, which slowly cracked into a smile as Daisy stifled laughter next to him. “Anyway, talking of time, we’ve got a student to pick up and a former SO to surprise. Let’s go.” Daisy giggled at his attempt to change the subject, but physically burst into laughter as he picked up his black trench coat from the coat hook on the back of his office door, pulling it on over his broad shoulders. “What, you not a fan Tremors?”

“Oh no, I think it’s very becoming Director Mackenzie. Very Nick Fury.”

“Well that was the aim.” Mack quipped as he smirked, “C’mon let’s go Agents.”

Daisy mock saluted the man, and he shoved her towards the door playfully. The car journey to the Academy wasn’t long, and Daisy spent most of her time staring out the window at the greenery and people milling about, as the sun was beginning to set. Taking in everything that made Earth what Earth. The gravity here made her body feel heavy compared to the lightness of space and manufactured gravity on the Zephyr, but it also grounded her, allowing her to relax slightly. All the different civilisations they’d seen in space had been so vastly different, it was nice to feel back home, seeing the bright neon signs in shop windows, and the park where children were running around laughing freely. Sousa spent most of the journey chatting with Mack and Yo-yo, his hand interlocked with Daisy’s the entire time, something she had found gave him great comfort in moments where he felt uneasy. If he was able to touch or hold her in some way, he felt like his thoughts were clearer and his mind was sharper, knowing she was there beside him. She wasn’t aware of whatever he was feeling uneasy about at that moment in time but, she squeezed his hand anyway, sort of tuning out of the conversation as she took in the familiar sites of DC.

As Mack pulled up to the academy, there was a familiar figure sat on the steps waiting for them by the Campus Entrance, who stood up when he saw the dark SUV came into sight. Daisy slipped out of the car almost as soon as it pulled to a stop.

“Hey Pebbles!” Daisy said, pulling the young Inhuman into a hug. He pulled a face but hugged Daisy back tight anyway. The boy had grown and filled out since she last saw him, a testament to what proper nutrition and the lack of starvation by an alien race could do for a growing kid, even at 19 years old now.

“You gotta be cool, Daisy, damn. I’ve got a reputation around here.” Flint laughed slightly but did look around at the relatively empty campus. Everyone else joined them and Sousa shook Flint’s hand, ever the square.

“Really Flint? You live with the director of the entire agency. Isn’t having Mack as a father more embarrassing than me?” Daisy teased, as the man in question approached them and rolled his eyes at her, scoffing slightly.

“Hey, I’m a cool director. Flint do you want to put your bags in the car, we’re going to show Sousa the new displays and stuff while Daisy has a special assignment she needs to complete. Ready Johnson?” Mack instructs his son, chucking him the keys to the SUV, before turning to Daisy, who had a wicked excited grin on her face. She pressed a kiss to Daniel’s cheek and turned to leave, before Mack called after her, “Invite her to dinner, the woman works too much.”

Daisy had become somewhat familiar with the layout of the newly constructed Coulson Academy before they left, through visits to see Kora and May. Seeing his name hanging above the main door made her heart happy, it was nice to see him immortalised with a legacy, even if there was still an LMD version of his hanging around somewhere on Earth. The academy had been designed to house all the departments, to try and combat the previous rivalry between them and promote some interdepartmental team work. May had taken up the role of Academy Head but kept up with the training of her recruits closely, taking her fair share of both practical and theory classes assisted by her empath abilities now. Her own legacy hadn’t escaped her, and whispers of the Cavalry could still be heard in the halls as she walked by, or that’s what Kora had said.

Thanks to the class schedule Mack had shown her in the car, Daisy worked out the best route to avoid being caught by May in a hall before she had the chance to surprise her. If the schedule was correct and the intel she’d gathered from Kora, about May sticking around after class to answer questions from curious students, was solid, she had about five minutes before May would get to her own office. Just enough time to pick the lock and situate herself.

“Who thought I’d ever use my training like this?” Daisy murmured to herself as she climbed a flight of stairs, quickly surveying the corridor and ducking past a lecture hall window, checking her six periodically. The door at the end was emblazoned with her name and rightfully so, Daisy thought. Predictably the door was locked, and Daisy made quick work of hacking the keypad from her phone, bypassing the fingerprint lock entirely. A smirk crossed Daisy face, she was being sneaky, using a lot of her training, but for a fun reason, with no dire possible consequences or repercussions that could change the world. That was a nice change of pace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Safe and Sound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every day, she returned to her office later than she had planned, having got caught up answering student’s questions or chasing paperwork from other staff. Tonight, was no different, she had a stack of essays to grade and a glass of whiskey was calling her, she waved goodbye to her students and let herself into her office, still wearing a smile on her face. Upon entering her office something was different, she could feel it in her gut. Old instincts kicked in and she scanned the room with her hands up, ready for action. Nothing seemed to be out of place, so it wasn’t that someone had searched her office. Glancing at her desk, she noticed that her tall backed leather desk chair was facing away from her and towards the window.
> 
> Or: Professor May

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a longer chapter this time!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Melinda May had changed. The once no-nonsense specialist with skill sets to match Romanoff had become something, she never thought she would be, a Professor. It seemed a natural fit and although she’d never admit it, the injuries she’d suffered in the last few years of field work had taken their toll on her. So now she trained the new recruits. Not that she took a hands-off approach to that at all. Stories flooded the new Academy of May being no stranger to knocking a recruit to the floor in ten-seconds flat when they got too big for their boots, she was aging yes, but she would never not be able to kick ass. She had the respect of her students from minute one, and she took great enjoyment transferring her own knowledge and experience to them. She ran seminars on work-life balance and set up mental-health support systems that were available for all students and faculty under her, knowing all too well that that was just as important as keeping up with their physical health. The pride she felt when she sent her first batch of recruits to Mack at HQ was overwhelming, and she had felt all their excitement at the prospect. Naming the academy had been easy, Coulson upheld all the values that should be present in every single Shield agent right until the end of his life. Losing him had been hard, and her occasional dinners with his LMD self always stirred up something in her she couldn’t quite recognise. Figures that when she got powers to feel other people’s emotions, her own were still unreadable to her. But this was her legacy, as well as his, and she was proud of it. Not to say it wasn’t exhausting.

Every day, she returned to her office later than she had planned, having got caught up answering student’s questions or chasing paperwork from other staff. Tonight, was no different, she had a stack of essays to grade and a glass of whiskey was calling her, she waved goodbye to her students and let herself into her office, still wearing a smile on her face. Upon entering her office something was different, she could feel it in her gut. Old instincts kicked in and she scanned the room with her hands up, ready for action. Nothing seemed to be out of place, so it wasn’t that someone had searched her office. Glancing at her desk, she noticed that her tall backed leather desk chair was facing away from her and towards the window. Odd, she thought, moving silently closer, just as the chair began to move, a voice echoing through the room.

“You know what May, I think you’re getting slower. Must be all the teaching and no field work.”

The chair twisted round to face her, revealing Daisy sat with her feet folded up under her, the biggest smirk on your face. May kept her stern face on for as long as she could, but she was overwhelmed at seeing her former protégé sat in front of her. Still scowling, but relaxing her tightly balled fists, she stood up straight again.

“You know I could still beat you if we were sparring.”

“I know, and I doubt that will ever change, unless the no powers rule was lifted.” Daisy quipped back, still smiling at her mother figure. Standing up and rounding the desk, Daisy stood in front of her former SO and levelled their eye contact. Immediately May wrapped her arms around Daisy, an action that Daisy had become more used to over the sixth months before her SWORD mission. It was still a little unexpected every time but was never unwanted. May was the closest thing she’d had to a proper mother in her life and they’d both almost lost each other more times than either of them wanted to. They both relaxed into each other, a feeling of complete comfort surrounding them.

“I’ve missed you May.” Daisy stated as they pulled away from the embrace.

“I’ve missed you too. When did you get back?” May rounded her desk and started packing up her bag, with various papers from her desk.

“Got in about two hours ago, you’re coming to dinner with me and Daniel at the director’s place.” Daisy said, not a question.

“Oh, I am, am I?” May answered, raising a questioning eyebrow at her surrogate daughter.

“Please May. Mack says you work too hard. So, take it as an order.” Daisy said, the corner of her mouth sneaking up into a smirk as she played May just the right way, as she learnt over the years, which as always, her superior saw straight through but after an eye roll agreed all the same.

“Where is Sousa anyway? Kora mentioned you two had been attached at the hip the entire time you’d been in space.” The younger woman flushed slightly at the comment but carried on anyway.

“Mack is showing him the new SHIELD displays, I haven’t told him about the Peggy Carter section, it’ll blow his mind.” Daisy chuckled.

“Oh, you haven’t seen the bit Coulson added about him, have you? That’ll be fun for him.” May said, also smirking. “There’s a section on us as well you know, part of the Coulson exhibit.” Daisy looked at her slightly shocked. “Come on, we’ll go meet them down there you can see it too.”

Upon entering the wing of the communications building, Daisy glanced at the wall of valour, so many names that she now recognised, the first one however, she’d never noticed before. The first fallen Eagle symbol _‘Agent D. Sousa’._ Her hand grazed over the inscription, the wall was significantly bigger than it had been when she last saw one at the original Sci-Tech academy when she first joined SHIELD. May gave her a minute to trace the more recent familiar names, Coulson’s causing a catch in her throat, as did Lincoln’s. They moved on after she steadied her breathing, crossing the atrium and entering a room which was basically a Shield museum. Glass cases and boards showing the history of the agency, lit professionally to inform students of the ups and downs they had been through since they were founded. Daisy took her time studying the first few sections on Captain America (no doubt mostly written and designed by Coulson himself) and Peggy Carter and her cases in the SSR, before the last panel caught her eye. As she stopped in front of it, she took in the familiar picture of the even more familiar face. It was that picture of Daniel that Daisy had seen in the original SSR file when they were in 1955. There was a few other pictures of Daniel and Peggy working together, along with a blonde man Daisy knew was named Thompson, and by Daniel’s own description of him, he was a complete ass. Most of the panel was taken up by a blurb.

_‘A dedicated Army Officer and later SSR Agent and Chief of the West Coast Offices of both the SSR and SHIELD, Daniel Sousa should be an inspiration to all current and new SHIELD agents. His work alongside then Agent Peggy Carter on the overthrowing of the Council of Nine was pivotal into the initial founding of SHIELD. Sousa went on to run the complete West Coast operations of a growing SHIELD from a base in Nevada. His bravery and determination, as well as dedication to the greater good, are qualities every agent should aspire to. Daniel Sousa was the first Agent of Shield to give his life for our cause. He is, to this day, a true SHIELD hero.’_

“Remind me to tell Coulson that this is too much.” A voice rang out from behind Daisy making her jump slightly. She turned to see Sousa stood behind her, somehow, he had managed to creep close to her while she was reading.

“I think it’s nice. Although, seeing you on campus may creep out some of the students who don’t know we brought you back from the dead.” Daisy said, before looking to the others that had joined them. “Are we playing him off as a relative or are we just avoiding the subject Mack?”

“Well that’s for you guys to decide in reality, obviously your team know, but we are trying to keep the whole time travel thing to the inner circle. So, I’m leaning to distant relative named after the ancestor.” Mack explained.

“Sounds good to me, I’d like to be related to this guy Coulson has described.” Daniel smirked, turning to stand next to Daisy.

“You are him. You are every bit the hero he describes.” Daisy said earnestly, catching his eyes and levelling her gaze, a hand on his arm trying to show she was completely serious. Everyone else in the room couldn’t drag their eyes away from the soft interaction. Typical Daniel just shook his head, but his eyes were sparkling all the same at the compliment from his love.

“Speaking of hero displays.” Daniel said, interlocking his hand with Daisy’s and leading her to the opposite side of the large room, past exhibits of the Avengers. Along the opposite wall was a display that made Daisy freeze in her tracks. At one end there was a Fitzsimmons section, with a few pictures of them in labs or when they gave speeches at the academy.

_‘Agents Fitz and Simmons were the youngest ever recruits of the original Academy, where they met and became a fierce partnership in the lab and in life, earning them the joint nickname of Fitzsimmons, often referred to as if they we were one person. Agent Jemma Simmons, a genius biochemist, and Agent Leopold Fitz, a brilliant engineer, joined Agent Coulson’s team after spending a few years working at Sci-Ops developing technology and gadgets for the agency, many of which are now vital for our work in the field. Two non-combat ready young scientist fearlessly risked their lives on countless accounts when the fate of the world was at risk, taking on the roles of fully trained combat agents to complete their missions under intense pressure. They also designed the Zephyr planes, which are not only incredibly useful on Earth, but are also fully space-flight capable. Two scientists that never thought they’d step out of the labs, became two of the greatest field assets SHIELD has ever known.’_

Daisy smiled at the sentiment, and the fact that although not expressing the details of just how much Fitz and Simmons had actually done to save the world so many times, it celebrated them, and allowed them to live their best retired lives. She missed them beyond words. ‘ _Soon’_ she thought to herself. The next panel was significantly smaller than the rest, but Daisy smirked, knowing that was probably intentional, as she turned to look at her SO, who rolled her eyes at her own photograph. The blurb was short and sweet, detailing May’s specialist training and her being Coulson’s voice of reason and second-in-command on the team. It made a joke about May kicking anybody’s ass and finished by calling her the Head of the new Coulson Academy.

“She wouldn’t let us include anything else.” Yo-yo called from where she stood by another panel, pointing to it. “Mack was the same.” Daisy wandered over to the other end of the display.

_‘A mechanic at heart, Agent Mackenzie joined Coulson’s team after the collapse of SHIELD and unveiling of HYDRA. Throughout his time on the team, he fought alongside his fellow agents and braved death, often in possession of his beloved weapon of his own creation, his shot-gun axe. Shortly before Director Coulson’s passing, Mack was voted to be the next Director of SHIELD by his teammates, an honour he plans to uphold for as long as is necessary and possible.’_

“Mack, c’mon man, you’ve got to tell them about the whole Mack Hammer thing at least.” Daisy teased.

“What Mack Hammer thing?” Flint piped up, earning a groan from his adoptive father.

“Nothing, there is no thing.” Mack quickly stated, while Daisy mouthed to Flint that she’d tell him later.

Yo-Yo appeared on a panel beside Mack, a shot of her running being the centre piece, alongside a short blurb describing her powers and the loss of her arms in battle. It was kept short and sweet for security purposes, as she was still on many active missions which could be compromised, but Yo-yo looked proud as her eyes glazed over it.

“This one’s my personal favourite.” Daniel said, motioning to one of the centre pieces. Daisy sidestepped till she was beside him and was met by a picture of her own face, an action shot that the paparazzi had snapped on one of her missions. She didn’t hate the photo, which was good, but she definitely preferred the other photo that was on her panel, Fitz and Simmons working side by side in the original bus lab, her typing on her laptop but laughing freely along with Jemma as Fitz was talking. It was the same photo that was sat on the mantel piece in her apartment right now. Finally, she took a breath as she read her own description.

_‘Originally brought onto the team as an enemy hacker for the hacktivist group the Rising Tide, Agent Daisy Johnson has become one of SHIELD’s greatest assets. From a completely unknown background, Johnson found a family in SHIELD and acted as the glue that held Coulson’s team together from the beginning. In a turbulent time in the world, Johnson was the first Inhuman that was discovered by SHIELD, gaining vibrational manipulation powers through a process called Terrigenesis. After gaining control of her powers, Johnson made a positive change to the public’s perception of Inhumans, the press themselves giving her the moniker ‘Quake’. Throughout her years at SHIELD, Agent Johnson has selflessly given herself to the protection of mankind, and thrown herself into the job, proving that when SHIELD works together, they are capable of anything. Agent Johnson serves as a reminder that no matter you’re circumstances in the world, you can always grow into the hero you are destined to be.’_

Her breath caught in her throat as she read the summary of her life, not quite believing the full hero status she’d been given. She leaned her head into Sousa’s shoulder as the blush rose in her cheeks slightly embarrassed. He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her, before drawing her attention to the middle panel, knowing it would distract her. It was simple, just like the rest of them but this one the most important to Daisy.

_‘Agent Phil Coulson is the namesake for the Academy for good reason. Not only is his field record outstanding and vast, his work with the Avengers makes him a man with experiences that few others can say they have had. Not only for being an inspiration to the Avengers, but to everyone at SHIELD. After being brought back from the brink of death after the battle of New York, he assembled a tight-knit mobile team who worked to save the world and after the original fall of SHIELD, were among the only true agents surviving. During this time, Coulson took up the mantle of Director, to bring about a new SHIELD free of hydra and true to the original cause. He has given his life in pursuit of this cause more than once, providing us all with a home and mission, to protect the Earth, to be the SHIELD. Phil Coulson lives on through the agents he has taught and the legacy he has left behind.’_

The picture is one Daisy had helped pick out, not the picture that had been on his badge, but one where he was smiling wide, probably taken by Jemma at some point in between missions. At the bottom there was a picture of almost the whole team, their backs to the camera as they sat on the cargo ramp of the Zephyr. It made Daisy realise how many people weren’t on there, the people who had given their lives or given up their safety, and yet these few people she held so close to heart had survived. She looked around to see everyone had similar expressions on their face, knowing and understanding that this was good, he would be remembered for a long time. Everything he, and they, had sacrificed would be worth it.

Feeling Daniel’s strong arm squeeze her a little bit closer, she relaxed into him, feeling the comfort in his warmth. He pressed a kiss to her forehead in a way which she become familiar with over the past year or so.

“Well, I think it’s time we get our two space travellers some real food. Flint will you ring, and order double our normal order, we can grab it on the way home.” Mack said, smiling at his son as he pulled out his phone. Everyone exited the academy and clambered into the SUV, which was always surprising spacious. Daisy climbed into the very back seats with Flint, the two of them chatting up a storm as Mack drove them home, stopping very briefly for Elena to grab their food order, the scent of which made Daisy’s stomach rumble as they pulled into a housing estate. It was a matter of minutes before Mack pulled up onto the drive of a very suburban house. There was a large tree in the front garden as well as a bed of neatly maintained flowers, leading up to a porch that wrapped around the house. As Daisy got out of the car, she stared slightly slack jawed at just how _normal_ the house was. Mack chuckled beside her.

“See Tremors, it is possible to have a life outside of SHIELD. Although the neighbours are starting to get slightly suspicious of the hours we keep.” He said, nodding to the neighbouring house where there was an older couple sat on the lawn. Mack raised his hand and waved, “Good evening Ted, Barbra.” The neighbours happily waved back and went about their business, as Daisy walked beside Mack up to the house.

“It’s so weird that you have neighbours.” Daisy whispered to the tall man, who let out a hearty chuckle.

“Yeah well you just spent 9 months in space with aliens, that’s weirder.”

Flint and Yo-yo had rushed ahead with the food and there was the sound of plates being spread out on a table, as Daisy entered the house behind Mack, taking in the positively homely surroundings. The soft grey sofa, the amber rug that stretched out across the hardwood floors, which seemed to flow through the entire ground floor of the house. The large kitchen with marble countertops and shiny stainless steel appliances, including a double door fridge that was adorned with magnets and papers, as well as a few photos. It was warm and welcoming and made Daisy feel weirdly settled in this place she’d never set foot in before. She saw Sousa was stood a few feet away, surveying the house in a similar manner to her, in awe of what their friends had for themselves.

“Gorgeous isn’t it”, he said out loud, Daisy humming in agreement. She’d never had a proper home, that wasn’t an underground base or a bunk in a plane, but maybe, just maybe she could see herself in a house like this one day. Her glance drifted to Daniel who seemed to be having the same kind of thought, he smiled warmly at her, causing her heart to do that weird flippy thing that only he was capable of causing. She drew herself closer to him, and his arm wrapped around her waist pressing a kiss to her forehead, a promise of a discussion to be had.

“Can you two stop making eyes at each other. We’re starving over here.” Flint called from where he was sat at the large oak dining table, earning a light smack from his mother. May was sat beside him with Yo-Yo opposite and Mack at the head of the table, waiting for them expectantly. The tantalising smell of the food was filling the room now, as they both hurried to sit down in the seats left to them, a beer had been placed waiting for them. Before they dived in to their food, Mack raised his glass.

“To coming home.” Everyone raised their drinks in response, the overwhelming feeling of warmth and comfort filling Daisy’s soul, making her extremities tingle a little. Everybody wasn’t here but for now, she was more than happy to have some of her favourite people surrounding her.

“To family, those who surround us and those who are further away.” Sousa added, as if he’d read her mind, as he smiled knowingly at her. And for the first time in a while she was completely at ease, tucking into Mexican food and catching up. Safe and sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, your comments have been so lovely!
> 
> Next chapter has a couple of special guests and also the chapter is currently not quite finished and very long so that’s fun 🤞🏻😂


	4. An Unexpected Blessing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Quinjet set down in a field, a mile or so from the cottage, allowing them to wander through the Scottish countryside a little bit to shake any stiffness from the flight. Bags slung over their shoulders and hands interlocked, they wandered down the single track country lane, taking in the gentle sweep of the green hills and breathing in the fresh, crisp air, the slight chill of autumn more noticeable on this side of the Atlantic. Daisy wrapped her long grey coat around her body more tightly as the breeze picked up slightly, but as they rounded the next corner, the house came into view, smoke rising from the chimney and Daisy could almost feel the warmth from here. Instinctually, she picked up the pace as if the site of cottage had a magnetic pull on her. Daniel chuckled lightly and sped up to match her.
> 
> or: Fitzsimmons and some special guests 😉

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so apologies that this is late, but I think its worth it?
> 
> It was never meant to be this long, but I guess I got a bit carried away with everything.
> 
> Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

It took both of them a few days to acclimatise to being back on Earth, both of them waking up that first morning slightly disorientated before remembering that they were no longer hurtling through space, but instead were tucked up safe in Daisy’s apartment. For the next few days old routines settled in, Daniel waking first and bringing Daisy coffee while she woke up, moving around each other fluidly as they got ready for the day and although the apartment was small, it was less cramped than the Zephyr had been. After a long mission debrief with Mack, Daisy had accompanied Yo-Yo to the Academy to drop in on one of May’s practical lectures, leaving Daniel with Mack to let them catch up. Their friendship had been forged in the midst of a Chronicom battle and had only grown from there.

When in the academy, both Inhumans had slipped silently into the upper observing floor, watching as May demonstrated moves to a group of 12 students. Daisy watched as May moved between her students, correcting stances in subtle ways that reminded Daisy of the days when May would train her at the Playground. May barked out commands and suddenly the students cleared the mats and stood around the outside. She pulled one of the students from the crowd, and started to exchange blows, clearly holding back slightly as she gave out pointers to the other students. Suddenly her opposition made an attempt to get an attack in against May, but in less than a blink of an eye they found themselves pinned on the floor, May barely breathing differently. Both Daisy and Yo-Yo tried to supress a laugh but failed, drawing attention to themselves from May. The professor didn’t make a sound, but only signalled for them to come down to the main floor.

“It seems as if we have two demonstrators with us today. You guys should recognise these agents, two of the finest I’ve trained.” May said as they came to stand either side of her. The students were looking around at each other as whispers went around the small group. “I want you to watch them spar and call out moves they make. Study them closely and you’ll learn a lot.” She turned to Daisy and Elena and offered nothing but a nod.

“I suppose this is what we get for laughing.” Daisy said to Yo-Yo, who just chuckled and shrugged.

“We’ve not sparred in a while, no powers I’m assuming?” Daisy nodded and they both turned away to shed their jackets and shoes.

“No extra strong arm manoeuvres either,” she called. Daisy had never been more grateful that she’d decided to wear leggings that morning, the idea of sparring in jeans was just uncomfortable. They sparred for about five minutes, pretty evenly matched as the students called out moves, a familiar rhythm settling in. Daisy went in to strike Yo-yo with a left hook, only to find that she was flipped over onto her back and pinned against the mat, a wide grin crossing her opponents face. Daisy groaned slightly before chuckling, which Elena joined in with and Daisy sprang into action, sweeping out her legs and flipping their position. And now it was Daisy’s turn to grin as May called time and started talking to her students again. She offered Elena a hand up from the floor and they found out after a short break they had been roped in to do an outnumbered demonstration, where both of them took on May. They rolled their eyes and groaned good naturedly, but Daisy was excited, the recognisable adrenaline rush of sparring coursing through her veins.

* * *

The next few days were spent settling back into their apartment, eating dinner in their favourite restaurants and spending their time doing nothing much. They had lunch with May, Kora and Flint a couple of times, but they spent most of their time lazing around in each other’s arms, catching up on their alone time, which on a space mission was often a rare occurrence. But on their 6th day back on earth, something was different. Daisy woke up as the sunlight shone brightly through their blinds, excited and cogent from her first waking moment, a situation which was never normally seen before at least one cup of coffee. Sitting up in bed suddenly, Daisy swung her legs out of the bed, startling a sleeping Daniel, whose arm had been slung around her waist.

“Whatcha doing?” He mumbled sleepily, his unruly curls flopping in all directions on top of his head. Daisy giggles as she pulled on her robe and sat down on his side of the bed, leaning down to press a kiss to his jaw.

“We’ve got a flight to catch Danny Boy. I’ve got a niece to spoil and some scientists to squeeze into a hug, no matter how much Fitz protests it.” She said as he flipped over to face her.

“I’m pretty sure it’s a SHIELD flight, and as two senior agents it will wait for us.” He moaned, looking to the alarm clock which was yet to go off.

“I know, but Kora is leaving with Barragan before then, they’re going on their trip, remember? We need to see her before she goes. C’mon Danny.” Daisy said, standing up again as her boyfriend groaned into the pillow. She smirked “Well I’m going to shower. I wouldn’t be opposed to some company, but if you want to stay there…” And Daisy released a giggle as she didn’t even get to finish her sentence before Daniel was up and out of bed, wrapping his arms around her from behind and pressing a kiss to her neck, as they wandered towards the bathroom together.

* * *

Two hours later and they were stood next to each other, taking it in turns to hug Kora goodbye before she got into the awaiting car and drove off into the sunset. Barragan was waiting a respectable distance away as she allowed them to say goodbye.

“Be safe okay, we’re on the end of the phone if you need us.” Daisy said to her sister.

“Alright, Daisy, stop fretting. I’m a big girl you know?” Kora chuckled.

“Yeah well I’m just glad you asked her out.” Daisy teased, “Took you long enough.” Kora rolled her eyes in response.

“Right I’m going. Danny Boy, keep Quake over here in check, will you?” This time it was Daisy’s turn to roll her eyes at the nicknames, but Daniel just chuckled beside her.

“I’ll do my best. Have fun okay? Not too much fun, but fun all the same.” He said, smiling at the younger woman who returned it, before giving Daisy one last hug before she folded herself into the passenger seat of Barragan’s convertible, waving goodbye as her girlfriend revved the engine and the car shot off down the tarmac. Daisy watched until the car was out of site.

“She’ll be fine Dais, you know that.” Daniel said, clearly sensing her anxiety and putting an arm around her shoulder to pull her close. She sighed into his chest, the rhythm of his heartbeat and smell of his cologne calming her nerves somewhat. “And to distract you somewhat, you’ve got another sister in Perthshire to see. And a small niece who I’m sure is dying to see her Aunt Daisy. All we’ve got to do is go get on that Quinjet.” He smiled down at her as she lifted her head, smiling again. She pressed a kiss to his lips, lingering a little longer than she normally would in public, before turning to grab their bags, linking their hands as they crossed the tarmac to the awaiting plane.

The flight took much longer than Daisy wanted it to, she spent most of the time impatiently bouncing her leg fiddling with the buckle on her jump seat. Daniel had found her impatience amusing, trying to distract her with a film had been useless as she continually sighed when checking on the flight progress with her phone. Daisy found herself lost in thought of the future and her life. Seeing how happy Mack and Yo-yo were settled in their suburban paradise, had got Daisy’s head swirling with ideas of her own life plan. Previously, she’d never really thought about the domestic side of life, settling down with one person, having kids had never really been on her horizon and she hadn’t dared to let herself imagine it, only to get her hopes up and have them dashed. But something had changed. It was Daniel. The sweet, handsome, loyal man with enough wit and sarcasm to challenge her at her best and worst, had been dropped into her life and swept her off her feet. She’d fallen hard and fast for the man out of time, and she let herself think of their future together.

“Do you think we’d stay near HQ?” She blurted out into the silence, Daniel’s head shooting up at the sudden interjection.

“What do you mean?”

“If we bought a house, would we stay near HQ? I mean technically we could move anywhere…” Daisy said clearly thinking out loud, as Sousa looked at her confused.

“When did we decide to buy a house? Are you asking me to move in with you Agent Johnson?” Daniel said, a cheeky smile crossing his face as his question clearly made Daisy snap back to reality and out of her own thoughts, her cheeks flushing slightly as her eyes went wide and she realised Daniel had no idea what was going on in her head.

“I mean... I just thought…” she stammered, before taking a breath and starting again. “Mack’s place got me thinking and it’s just something I’ve been pondering.” Daniel’s smirk got bigger.

“So just for the record, you are asking me to move in with you? You know back in the 50’s it was considered improper for unmarried couples to live together.” He teased, receiving an eyeroll from the woman beside him.

“Oh please, you basically live in my apartment anyway, all your stuff is there. And you’ve shown to adapt very well to new time periods.” Daisy retorted, nudging him with her elbow. He chuckled and took hold of one of her hands.

“I’d love to move in with you, officially. And I think a house might be nice for us.” He pressed a soft kiss to her temple, and Daisy smiled at him warmly before pressing her lips to his.

“Any thoughts on the HQ situation?” She asked, barely a whisper as they were so close to each other.

“I don’t know, it depends on if we go back to space with SWORD or not doesn’t it. I assume if we are it doesn’t matter all that much but if we’re working out of HQ or the academy every day, maybe a long commute isn’t worth it?” Daniel pondered, his head tilting ever so slightly as he weighed the options. To Daisy he was adorable when he was like this, not the commanding and experienced field agent and chief, but a soft, caring man who cried at ET and seriously considered random thoughts his girlfriend had out of the blue.

“Agent Johnson, we’re about 45 minutes out,” called out the pilot from the cockpit, breaking both of their thought trains.

“Thanks Montgomery.” She replied, before turning back to Daniel, resting her head on his shoulder. Forty five minutes until she was reunited with her favourite Brits. She hadn’t told them she was coming, they had said she was welcome anytime and Daisy fully planned to use that to her advantage to surprise them. Both her and Daniel, along with Kora, had visited the cottage prior to leaving on a mission, a couple months after the Fitzsimmons had moved back to their motherland. The cottage itself had been purchased by Deke during his time on Earth before the final mission, and when tearfully cleaning out his bunk at the Lighthouse, Jemma and Fitz had found the deed in their name along with a note from their grandson, saying they deserved a place to grow old together. And it had been perfect. Isolated enough that they could rest in their retirement without fear, but close enough to a small village that Alya had been able to go to school for the first time this year.

The cottage itself screamed Fitzsimmons, or so Daisy thought. It was large enough for there to be several guest rooms for when they had multiple visitors, but it was cosy, reminiscent of how Jemma had always kept her bunk when they lived on planes and bases, with blankets always within reach and a large wood burning fire that heated the whole house. The gardens were wide and sprawling, with beds of flowers and veg, all carefully labelled for education purposes and carefully tended to by Jemma. Stood apart from the house, was another building, meant to be a garage but Daisy had found on her first visit that it was to be turned into a lab for her favourite scientists, who were unable to leave that side of them behind at SHIELD. It also meant that very occasionally Daisy was able to reach out to Jemma with questions about alien biology. And Fitz kept a concealed containment unit in the back, just in case they should ever need it.

The Quinjet set down in a field, a mile or so from the cottage, allowing them to wander through the Scottish countryside a little bit to shake any stiffness from the flight. Bags slung over their shoulders and hands interlocked, they wandered down the single track country lane, taking in the gentle sweep of the green hills and breathing in the fresh, crisp air, the slight chill of autumn more noticeable on this side of the Atlantic. Daisy wrapped her long grey coat around her body more tightly as the breeze picked up slightly, but as they rounded the next corner, the house came into view, smoke rising from the chimney and Daisy could almost feel the warmth from here. Instinctually, she picked up the pace as if the site of cottage had a magnetic pull on her. Daniel chuckled lightly and sped up to match her. She shot him a smile as she ducked down beside the garden wall and reached to unlatch the garden gate as quietly as she could. Sousa, ever the secret agent, checking their six as he mirrored her movements. They skirted round the side of the garden, carefully avoiding any windows or getting caught in the ivy climbing the side of the house, although Daisy or Daniel didn’t have much of a plan. This thought clearly occurred to them at the same time as they were squatting in front of the front door, both of them looking at each other and almost bursting into laughter at how they’d just snuck round the garden. They could hear movement inside the house and familiar giggles that felt like music to Daisy’s ears.

“I’m just gonna knock.” Daisy said, standing up quickly and taking a breath, Sousa using the stone wall to also pull himself up, so he was standing. Smiling at him, she rapped her knuckles on the blue door three times, and the quiet noise from the house was silenced immediately. There was no sound of movement towards the door which Daisy thought was odd. She leaned backwards slightly, to see that there seemed to be no movement in any of the visible windows. And then suddenly the door swung open, and the couple found themselves face to face with a tall blonde woman, who had taken a defensive stance. The women locked eyes and Daisy let out a breath.

“Bobbi?”

* * *

“Oh my god, Daisy!” The woman cried, and they collided in a tight embrace, leaving Daniel Sousa standing like a lemon as the two women in front of him hugged.

“What are you doing here?” Daisy asked pulling back from the tall woman.

“Clearly the same as you.” The woman replied before flicking her gaze over the man who had been stood beside Daisy, she carefully studied him before a light of recognition went through her eyes. “Holy shit you’re Daniel Sousa.” Daniel smiled, slightly embarrassed still, shifting the duffle bag on his shoulder.

“One in the same, nice to meet you?” Daniel said offering his hand to the woman, who shook it firmly still gaping slightly.

“Oh. Bobbi, short for Barbra unfortunately. Shit me Daisy, Jemma didn’t tell me about this yet.” She said turning to her old friend who just smiled.

“I think we’ve got a lot to catch up on.” She smirked, her eyes flitting to Daniel briefly. Another voice came from inside the house.

“Bobbi? Is everything okay?” came the soft English accent Daisy had missed so dearly, as Jemma appeared behind Bobbi, who shifted out of the way to reveal the newcomers. “Daisy.”

Her name had barely left Jemma’s lips before she had catapulted herself through the doorway and tackled Daisy in a hug. Daisy gasped as tears filled her eyes, Jemma’s arms wrapping tightly around her as they stood in her garden. She buried her face in her hair and smelt the lavender shampoo she’d been using for years, so familiar and comforting. They stood like that for probably too long, but they didn’t care.

“I’m so glad you’re back, and safe.” Jemma said, her eyes just as glassy as Daisy’s as she pulled back slightly. Daisy didn’t open her mouth more than just to hum in agreement, not quite trusting that she wouldn’t release a sob. Jemma turned to Daniel and hugged him as well, which he returned happily. “Oh god, let’s get you inside, you’ll freeze out here.”

“You’re such a mom, Jemma.” Daisy said, shaking her head as she followed Jemma inside. Bobbi had grabbed her duffel as she’d dropped it during the hug with Jemma. Both of the new guests slipped off their shoes in the hallway, placing them next to the row of wellington boots that were neatly organised in the rack. Daisy had barely entered the kitchen before she was met with a flying missile of blonde hair, that tackled her giggling loudly.

“Auntie Daisy! I missed you.” The little one cried as her aunt dropped to her knees.

“I’ve missed you too little one. So much.” Daisy’s eyes threatened to spill again as she held Alya close to her body, the girl holding onto her tightly. “I’ve got so many new stories to tell you about space though, and I think your Uncle Dan might have some present in our bags for you.” She smirked at the little one, studying her. She’d shot up in height since she’d last seen her, and her hair was starting to get darker. Somethings hadn’t changed though, she still had her father’s eyes and her mother’s smile. Alya’s gaze shifted from Daisy, to the man stood beside her who had been fondly watching the interaction between niece and aunt.

“Uncle Dan!” Alya said, as he picked her up in his arms, as she hugged him. The two handed bonded quickly before the Fitzsimmons had left for Scotland, Alya taking it upon herself to give Daniel a proper education in Disney films when she learnt he hadn’t seen any of them. Daisy drew herself away from their small conversation to look to Fitz on the other side of the kitchen, they met in the middle for a tight embrace.

“How you doing Fitz? Enjoying retirement?” She laughed slightly.

“Course I am. I get to spend all day with my girls. What more could a bloke ask for?” Fitz replied.

“You could ask to see your best mate a bit more often,” joked another familiar voice. Daisy span round to see Hunter and wrapped the man in a quick hug.

“I can’t believe you guys are even here.” Daisy said looking from Bobbi to Hunter. “Where have you guys been?” Bobbi opened her mouth to answer, but she paused when a small figure ran into her legs, hiding behind them, but peering around them slightly. Daisy mouth dropped open as Bobbi picked up the small boy under his arms and placed him on her hip.

“Daisy, this is Alphonso Owen Hunter-Morse. Or Alfie.” She said, running her hand through the mess of hair on her son’s head. “Alfie, say hi to your Aunt Daisy.” The young boy waved shyly, before tapping his mother on the shoulder and holding up his hand, his fingers tensed into open space. Everyone looked at him slightly clueless at what he was asking. “Words Alfie, use your words.” Daniel tried to smother a laugh, and everyone turned to him.

“Sorry, I just recognised the action. He’s doing the Quake thing. He’s recognised Daisy.” Everyone looked back to the young boy, with slightly surprised looks on their faces.

“Quake?” The small voice asked. Daisy approached slowly and nodded. A mess of light brown hair on his head, and looked the spitting image of his father, although his eyes were the same green as his mother’s.

“Hey buddy. I’m Daisy, but yeah that’s me. You want to see?” The boy nodded furiously and Alya suddenly popped up beside Daisy.

“We could build a tower Auntie Daisy. And then we can show Alfie how you knock it down?” she asked pointing to the building blocks that were scattered on the living room floor.

“You know what Al, that’s perfect. How about you two go build a tower while I talk to your parents quickly?” Daisy said, placing her hand on the small girl’s head, before she reached for Alfie’s hand, as Bobbi had placed him on the floor. The pair of them ran off towards the block, chattering away to each other about superpowers.

Daisy turned back to the adults, and saw Hunter approaching Daniel, shaking his hand.

“Hi mate, we’ve not met. I’m Hunter.”

“Daniel, I’ve heard a lot about you two.” Daniel said, motioning to him and Bobbi. He’d put the pieces together from the stories Daisy had told him about the members of their team who had been disavowed a number of years before he joined them.

“I can’t believe Jemma didn’t say anything about this. I still don’t quite understand it. You are like the Daniel Sousa. SSR Chief, Peggy Carter partner, ran the West coast of SHIELD, Daniel Sousa.” Bobbi babbled, looking from the man himself to Daisy and back again.

“Yup, he’s the very same. Time travel’s an amazing thing.” Daisy said, looking proudly at him. “Forgot how much of a nerd you were, Bobbi.”

“Hey, Peggy Carter was the pinnacle of SHIELD agents, but he’s who I wrote my essay on for my history of SHIELD exam in the academy.” Bobbi said, the words spilling out of her mouth before she could stop them. Daniel flushed at the comment, but Bobbi went tomato red.

“Hey, it’s alright Bob, Jemma didn’t even recognise him when they first met, and she was impersonating Carter.” Daisy said, trying to distract from the situation.

“In all honesty, I was just trying to channel Director Carter, and find undercover chronicoms at the same time.” Jemma said holding her hands up. “I did enjoy pretending to be her though, maybe a little too much. Anyone want tea? Or coffee?” Before long she was bustling round the kitchen, while Daisy briefly filled Bobbi and Hunter in on plucking Daniel out of time.

“So, I’m sat in his office, and he comes bursting through the door having locked Jemma and Coulson up for infiltrating his base. And then I pretended to be CIA and once I got them out of their cell, we threw him in it and locked the door. Later on, we faked his death and brought him with us as we time hopped through time.” Daisy explained.

“Yeah but how did this happen?” Hunter said motioning between the two of them, who had seemingly gravitated back towards each other on one side of the kitchen counter, their shoulders brushing. “That’s what I want to know.” Trust Hunter to want to know the gossip.

“Well some psycho who wanted to steal Inhuman powers kidnapped us and stole my powers, like Whitehall tried to do to Jiaying all those years ago. I was in and out of consciousness and I would have died, had Daniel not carried me out of the barn that psycho was bringing down on top of us.” Daisy smiled weakly at Daniel, who moved closer to her instinctively as her voice wobbled slightly. “And then when I woke up in this healing pod of Fitzsimmons’ design, he was there waiting for me.”

“You didn’t mention that you made a move on me in the time loop that I still can’t remember,” Daniel teased lightly, bumping his hip into hers playfully.

“Hey that was after you made a big speech about picking me up when I run into walls. Can’t blame a girl for taking a minute to make a move when they’re trying to battle their way out of a time loop headed for death.” Daisy smirked back at him. “Plus, the first time you kissed me, I was on my way to save Simmons from evil space robots, so you can’t talk.”

“Mack was impressed by that, I still think it was the right decision. For a square.” He quipped back to her, in their usual back and forth rhythm.

The other four adults in the room watched the interaction in some kind of awe. All of them had seen Daisy through multiple stages in her life, from heartbroken and miserable to determined and awe-inspiring, but it had been rare to ever see her like this. Truly happy, as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders and she could stand to be content of her own accord. The relationship between their old friend and this SHIELD legend out of time just seemed to work, their banter and clear familiarity of each other suited both of them as they looked at ease. Plus, they were practically occupying the same space in the kitchen, even after 9 months in space together.

“Auntie Daisy!” a small voice yelled from the other room, capturing everyone’s attention.

“Alya, inside voice please.” Jemma said authoritatively, but a smile still on her face as her daughter popped up from behind the couch.

“We’ve built our tower now, is Auntie Daisy allowed to quake it down now?” she asked politely, making full use of her puppy dog eyes. Jemma nodded and Daisy rounded the couch excitedly.

“Alright you two, I need you both to come stand beside me.” She instructed the kids who bounded up beside her eagerly. “Okay now, are we counting down from three?” Alya nodded, while Alfie stood bouncing on his toes. “Ready? 3…2…1…” Daisy raised her hand, sending the tiniest quake, causing the coloured blocks to go flying across the carpet, Alya giggling loudly and running to restack the blocks, but Alfie’s mouth had just dropped open in shock. “You like that little guy?” Alfie nodded his head vigorously at the superhero, before looking back to his father who had taken his place behind the couch.

“Yeah I told you she was cool little man. But you want to know what’s cooler? I think your Auntie Jemma is getting biscuits out.” Both kids heads shot up at this and ran back into the kitchen, to where Jemma rolled her eyes at Hunter but offered both of them a chocolate covered biscuit anyway.

“I think it’s about time you two fill us in on where you’ve been, bar breaking Fitzy out of prison. And where that handsome devil of a child came from.” Daisy smirked at the two of them.

And so, they explained. The looking for work post-SHIELD, running jobs as mercenaries to make ends meet, skipping from place to place to avoid being chased after by governments that had them as their most wanted. How they’d been arguing in Bangladesh, when Hunter took off for a couple of months to rescue Fitz, before freezing him and sending him off into space with Enoch. When he had returned to Bangladesh, they found out Bobbi was a few months pregnant and decided to retire, for a while, from their active and dangerous day jobs.

“So, we travelled for a few months, just flitting through Europe, as the pregnancy progressed. And then a little over two years ago, Alfie made his appearance. Screaming at the top of his lungs, just like his father.” Bobbi said, legs crossed on the sofa as she clutched her coffee mug.

“Hey, he’s just like me. And I’m proud, look at my little guy.” Hunter said from where he sat in front of Bobbi on the floor, doting on his child who was currently almost falling into Alya’s toy chest.

“He is your son, you can’t deny that.” Bobbi said fondly as they watched the small boy squirm back out of the toy box, holding his chosen toy victoriously above his head. “And then, about two months ago, Hunter got a message from a certain Scottish engineer, with coded coordinates. We didn’t know if it was a distress call or what, until I got a letter that just said, ‘The ride was definitely worth it.’. And then we knew.” Jemma sat down beside Daisy at that point, passing her a plate of biscuits as she placed her cup of tea on the small round table beside the sofa.

“And then three days later they showed up here. They were as surprised by Alya as we were by little Alfie. This is their second visit in two months, they only live a couple of hours away.” Jemma said resting against the back of the sofa.

“Mack is gonna lose his mind when he finds out you named your kid after him. Are you gonna go see him?” Daisy asked, already imagine the large man’s reaction.

“We are at some point, we need your help actually, if you don’t mind. Now that we’re cleared properly by everyone, we need to create an actual identity for Alf. Hard to get a birth certificate when you’re still kind of on the run.” Bobbi said, looking to Daisy.

“Yeah, I can handle that, had to do them for a few people in the past couple of years.” She smiled, patting Daniel’s knee slightly. “I can do it while we’re here, I can use the lab right guys?” Fitz nodded and sipped his tea. “Wait isn’t his middle name Owen? Wasn’t that Deke’s- Does that mean- Deke-?” Daisy span to look at Jemma and Fitz, who looked awkwardly at each other.

“We don’t know, we explained the whole Deke thing to these guys last time. It’s possible, we could run tests but that doesn’t mean even if it is, that the outcome would be the same in this timeline.” Fitz started rambling, slightly quietly as to not talk too loudly in front of Alya.

“Wait, so Deke could be- what the hell?” Daniel said, pointing between the two children who were sat playing together peacefully on the floor.

“Yeah we’re trying not to think about it too much.” Jemma half laughed, her gaze drifting to her daughter.

“To be fair, Hunter being his other grandfather would explain a lot.” Daisy teased.

“That’s what I said when we discussed it,” Fitz smiled at her. “Also, must have gotten his height from Bobbi. Certainly, didn’t get it from us.” Daisy outright laughed as Hunter looked slightly put out. Conversation continued catching Bobbi and Hunter up on random adventures they’d missed out on and Bobbi and Hunter sharing stories that Daniel hadn’t heard before.

“Do you remember when Fitz was trying to ask Simmons out that first time? He was so nervous pacing up and down the corridor before he went to talk to her.” Hunter started as Fitz flushed in the corner, Jemma smiling widely.

“Yeah, but I did ask her out. Not my fault she got swept off to another planet by a space rock before we got to dinner.” Fitz muttered. Jemma patted his knee sympathetically.

“Yeah well look at us now Fitz. Married, with a daughter, and in a cottage in Perthshire bought for us by our grandson from the future.” Fitz smiled at that and pressed a kiss to his wife’s head.

“How’s Kora doing anyway? And how was space? I can’t believe we’ve not even mentioned that yet.” Fitz asked.

“Kora’s doing great, got her powers really sorted out now and she’ll be graduating from the academy in a few months. Oh, and she finally asked Barragan out.” Daisy said the latter to Jemma, as during a few phone calls she’d debriefed her on the whole situation between the two of them.

And that’s how the next week carried on. Rainy days were spent inside cuddled up under forts built in the living room, playing with the kids, who both found it hilarious when Daisy quaked random pillows at anyone passing by. On a few clear days, they’d walk to the local playground and let the kids blow off some steam. Daisy and Alya would spin the roundabout as fast as possible when Fitz was on it, and stopped eventually when he attempted to stagger off, looking ever so slightly green, much to their amusement.

“You’re corrupting my child, Daisy.” Fitz muttered as Alya scarpered off to the swing set where Jemma was sat watching the scene with Daniel. Daisy had noticed Jemma hung back a lot, watching over everyone as if she was taking a mental image of her friends and family together. Perhaps it was due to already losing her memory of them once, not wanting a repeat experience. A lot of the time she ended up talking to Daniel, and they’d laugh and chat in a conversation that Daisy wasn’t privy to as it would stop whenever she got close, but they were both relaxed and seemed content, so she was happy.

Being reunited with Bobbi and Hunter had also been an unexpected blessing. She’d missed Hunter’s sarcastic humour in the past few years, and severely missed fighting alongside Bobbi or just chatting to her about anything and everything. Bobbi herself had been very interested in her relationship with a SHIELD legend, and their adventures in space.

They’re evenings were spent cooking big family-style meals, well Jemma, Daniel and Bobbi would cook, while the other adults would be entertaining the kids or trying to keep from swearing at each other as they played video games, just like in the old days. Eating around the dining room table the loud atmosphere was warm and comforting, as they passed various dishes around to each other. Daisy found herself loving this domestic setting, the routine and the overwhelming love of all the people in the room. As she watched Jemma wipe Alya’s face gently, which had somehow got covered in pasta sauce, her heart warmed watching her best friend as a mother. As she dragged her gaze away from them, she felt Daniel’s eyes on her. His gaze was fond and soft, those deep chocolate irises that looked at her full of nothing but love and admiration, that she could only hope her own face was reflecting to him. Watching him with the kids made her wonder for the future, just like living in a house, she’d never really given much thought to having her own children. But as she’d watched Daniel sit with Alya and Alfie the previous night, reading stories as they both curled up beside him, her mind had begun to wander, and she could see it. A future with him, in a house with a couple of little ones with his curly hair. And if Jemma had caught her watching them and raised an eyebrow at her knowingly, that was between them and them alone. For now.

* * *

The last morning was a little bittersweet. Daisy woke up in the guest room that her and Daniel had been staying in to find the other side of the bed empty. Slipping into the fluffy robe Jemma had left out for her, she padded softly down the stairs to find Daniel sat at the table, sipping coffee over the newspaper, conversing quietly with Jemma who had a sleepy looking Alya on her knee.

“Good morning sleepyhead,” Daniel said, his eyes lighting up as Daisy came into view. She rolled his eyes but leant down to kiss him anyway, tasting the bitter coffee on his lips.

“Good morning to you too, Danny boy.” She said, before straightening up and turning towards the kitchen. “How’s my favourite niece this morning?” Daisy said, ruffling Alya’s hair as she was still tucked up against her mother’s chest.

“She’s a bit upset because you’re all going home.” Jemma explained softly, her hand running up and down her daughter’s back.

“Oh Al, we’ll come back soon, and we can still talk on the phone.” Daisy said, squatting down to her level, Alya shifting slightly so she could see her Aunt, her eyes slightly glassy. “Tell you what, why don’t we go to the park after breakfast, just you and me? Call it a bit of auntie niece bonding time.” The girl looked from her mother to Daisy and nodded vigorously. “Alright then, let’s get some breakfast then.”

“Fitz and Hunter should be back with Alfie soon, they went to get pancake ingredients.” Jemma commented as Daisy pulled some juice out of the fridge. At that moment, the door opened to reveal Bobbi returning from her morning run. Ever the athlete, she’d go on a run every morning at stupid o’clock in the morning and then carry on with her day, leaving Daisy envious of the apparently endless energy she had.

“Good run?” Daniel asked from the table.

“Yeah the roads are so quiet around here, and the view’s much nicer than the ones we get on a treadmill.” Bobbi said, taking the juice Daisy was offering her. “Where’s Hunter and Fitz gone? They passed me on mile 9.” Daisy scoffed at the casual comment and juice almost went all over the kitchen.

“They’ve gone to get stuff for pancakes, they’ll be back in a minute.” Jemma said, taking a sip of the mug of tea. It wasn’t long before the boys returned, and pancakes were made and dished out to everyone. Daisy took her time memorising the moment, Fitz and Hunter joking with Daniel, Bobbi trying her best to not let Alfie get syrup everywhere and Jemma listening intently as Daniel started telling a story to Bobbi and her about his SSR days, Alya now balanced on his knee, drawing fish. Breakfast plates were cleared and put away in the dishwasher, as everyone went about starting to pack their belongings.

“Alya, remember the surprise I told you about this morning?” Jemma asked and her daughter nodded vigorously, before running up the stairs with her mother trailing behind her. Everyone looked to Fitz who had suddenly busied himself with inspecting the seal on the fridge door, determined to avoid everyone’s eyes. Looks were shared between the other adults questioningly, but they were all just as confused as each other. It wasn’t long before they heard the small footsteps of Alya carefully coming down the stairs, one hand on the hand rail and the other tightly gripped in her mother’s.

“Ta dah!” she said as she reached the bottom of the staircase, raising both arms in the air. Daisy looked to Jemma briefly who smirked, before looking back to Alya. The small girl had gotten dressed out of her pyjamas, and Daisy suddenly caught sight of the writing on her shirt. Bobbi suddenly stood still, and Daniel was already smiling wide as she realised what it meant.

“Jemma?” She shrieked, surprising Hunter who was trying to work out what the surprise was. “YOU’RE PREGNANT?” Within a second Daisy had wrapped her arms around a giggling Jemma and was quickly joined by Bobbi in a group hug. On the other side of the kitchen Daniel was clapping Fitz on the back and congratulating him, as the Scottish man looked ecstatically happy. Hunter finally caught on and read aloud,

“I’m the big sister.” He said. “Ohhhh, Fitz! Another one? Congrats mate.” Bobbi rolled her eyes as her husband wrapped his best friend in a tight embrace.

“For a spy, Hunter, you’re ridiculously unobservant.”

“I was never a spy, love, I was a merc.” He quipped back, before scooping Alya up. “Hey, you’re gonna be a big sister! You excited kiddo?” He threw the giggling girl into the air a few times as Daniel manoeuvred round them to congratulate Jemma, Daisy passing him to do the same for Fitz. She wrapped the man she considered her brother in hug. They’d been through a hell of a lot, the two of them, and some wounds left scars, but there had been umpteen apologies and breakdowns between the two of them over the last year or so. Now, they had grown together and moved on, happy to have each other in their lives.

“I can’t believe it Fitz, two of them. Are you happy?” Daisy asked.

“I’m beyond happy Daisy, there is nowhere else in the world I need to be right now. The two, now three of them, are my whole life. The best thing to ever happen to me.” Fitz said, looking across to his wife and daughter, where they stood with their friends. Daisy looked from them to Daniel who was now bouncing Alfie gently in his arms, the little guy filling the room with unbridled laughter as Sousa made faces at him. “He’d be a good dad, you know.” Fitz offered nervously, causing Daisy to glance at him briefly. “You can just tell with how he is with these two.” Her gaze flickered back to her boyfriend who was smiling widely as Bobbi put her hand on Jemma’s barely showing stomach.

“It’s been more on my mind since we’ve been back.” Daisy confessed, leaning her hip against the kitchen counter. “The life you and Jemma have, or Mack and Yo-yo. Hell, even Bobbi and Hunter, it’s made me start to think about it. But I don’t know if that’s on the cards for me, you know how my life’s been.”

“So, you’re a little different, there’s nothing wrong with that.” Fitz said, making them both smile at an old memory. “I know you’d be fantastic parents, you’d give anything for your kids to have the childhood you never did. And the whole SHIELD thing, you’d work it out. It’s not like Mack is going to get rid of two of his best agents, he’d make sure it was all sorted out.” Daisy turned to see the genuine look Fitz had in his eyes, both of them sporting happy smiles.

“Thanks Fitz, I appreciate it.” She replied sincerely. “Who’d have thought all those years ago on the bus that we’d be here having this conversation?” Daisy chuckled.

“Hey, I think we’ve all grown up since then. Not that that’s a bad thing.”

Alya came running over, screeching to a halt in front of Daisy. “Can we go to the park now Auntie Daisy?”

After a trip to the park and an ice-cream from the village store, Daisy and Alya walked hand in hand back down the lane to the cottage, noticing now that there were two Quinjets on the field behind the house. Alya looked a little sad as she noticed the planes, but Daisy opened the garden gate and pointed towards the front door.

“You know, I think someone you know was piloting the Quinjet, perhaps an Auntie May?”

With that Alya took off across the garden, flinging the front door open and shouting as she spotted the person she was looking for. Daisy closed the door behind them and watched as May embraced the smallest Fitzsimmons tightly, clearly feeling the huge amount of joy that constantly radiated through the girl.

They would be leaving soon, and looking around the cottage, Daisy couldn’t help but feel sad at the prospect. Having spent the best part of seven years in such close quarters with her found family, it was weird to not see them all every day. But as her gaze shifted to Daniel who had just brought their bags down the stairs, it dawned on her that with him was the happiest she had been in a long time, and she was excited for their future. To build a home of their own. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the lovely comments, they truly make my day 💛


	5. Final Piece of the Puzzle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her heart began hammering in her chest as they made it half way round the square, and although she couldn’t quite explain it, she felt almost nervous about seeing him. She knew that LMD Coulson wasn’t exactly the Phil Coulson she’d met all those years ago in the alley, the one that brought her onto his team, given her a family and became the closest thing she had to a father. But he was the closest thing to him that she had left, and she wasn’t letting go of him just yet. It had been over a year since he’d headed off on his travels and in their situation, a yearly framework phone call just wasn’t enough.
> 
> Or: Coulson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the final chapter! Sorry it's so late, I've had the busiest couple of weeks.
> 
> I'm not entirely sure about this chapter, I'm not sure I've done it justice, so I may delete and change it at some point.
> 
> Thanks for sticking around this long, and I hope you enjoy the final chapter.

Sunlight bounced off the shimmering blue waters off the Italian coast, small white boats bobbing in the water for as the waves lapped the shore. The town itself wasn’t a typical tourist town, so there was a peacefulness to the surroundings which is exactly what the two agents needed right now.

Sat in a small café, Daisy leant against the back of her chair, studying her boyfriend who was reading in the shade of the large umbrella, the sun beating down on the pair of them. She watched as his eyes moved across the page of the book he’d been lent by Jemma, his lips twitching every few seconds as if the words were being spoken allowed. On the sunny ‘vacation’ they were on, Daisy had been surprised by the different fashion sense Daniel had adopted. Gone were the classic block coloured dress shirts, and they had been replaced by a small collection of patterned Hawaiian shirts that he said reminded him of his days in the SSR LA office. She personally couldn’t imagine the chief of a SHIELD office wearing such an eclectic collection, but she wasn’t complaining. They suited him and the way they pulled tight around his arms definitely weren’t distracting at all. Paired with the chinos he’d gotten from somewhere, Daisy had been doing plenty of sight-seeing the past few days. She smirked into her cup of coffee.

“What you looking at, Johnson?” Daniel said not looking up from his book.

“Oh, nothing.” Daisy smiled innocently.

“We should probably get going, it’s only ten minutes till the time.” Daniel said, standing up and pulling his wallet out of his pocket to pay their breakfast bill. As nice as the past few days had been driving through Italy, drinking wine and staying in small fancy hotels, there was a reason they’d flown here. Daisy had one very important family member to reconnect with, and it had proved harder than she initially thought it would be to get in contact with him. She left a message with him via May and had then received a transmission of co-ordinates and a date and time randomly through her tablet one morning while at the Fitzsimmons cottage. The very idea of an anonymous message being relayed through her secure SHIELD tablet would have been somewhat unnerving, had it not been signed ‘AC’.

The past few days had been blissful, the couple alone for a few days simply enjoying everything they had to offer each other, and they’d taken the time for themselves which was always a rarity for SHIELD agents. They wandered hand in hand through the narrow streets of the coastal town, Daisy’s sundress moving in the light breeze that was coming in off the sea. They made it to the town square to find a small market set up, local farmers and tradespeople selling their goods in a friendly bustle. Daisy scanned the scene, looking for some sign of him but as more people entered the market it was getting too busy to see much. Daisy sighed slightly, and Daniel brought her hand that was interlocked with her up to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

“Come on, let’s do a lap round the square. He’ll be here.” He said, pulling her with him as he entered the square, a smile crossing her face at how well he just knew her. She fell into stride beside him, scanning every café and stall for her father figure. Her heart began hammering in her chest as they made it half way round the square, and although she couldn’t quite explain it, she felt almost nervous about seeing him. She knew that LMD Coulson wasn’t exactly the Phil Coulson she’d met all those years ago in the alley, the one that brought her onto his team, given her a family and became the closest thing she had to a father. But he was the closest thing to him that she had left, and she wasn’t letting go of him just yet. It had been over a year since he’d headed off on his travels and in their situation, a yearly framework phone call just wasn’t enough. She was scanning the alley that ran along the side of the square to no avail, when Daniel tugged on her hand and pointed to the fountain in the middle of the square. At long last, Daisy locked eyes with her target and dropped Daniel’s hand, taking off through the throng of people who were meandering through the market.

To outsiders, it may have looked like a childish reaction but to Daisy it was more than warranted. She sped up as she approached the man and flung herself into his open arms, giggling as she held him close. He stumbled only slightly on impact, his Chronicom body much more stable than his human one, chuckling as he pulled his surrogate daughter into a tight embrace.

“I thought you might not turn up.” Daisy muttered, still clinging to him.

“I’ll always be there for you Daisy, you know that.” He stated pulling away from her slightly to look her in the face, tears welling in her eyes. “You look good Daisy, you seem happy.”

“I am. This is the happiest I’ve felt in a long time, especially now I’ve got to see everyone. Including you.” She replied standing apart from him now, just as Daniel approached.

“Sousa, you’re looking well. Keeping this one out of trouble I hope?” Coulson asked mischievously, raising an eyebrow at Daisy slightly who chuckled as he shook Daniel’s hand.

“I try my best, sir. But it’s not an easy task.” Daniel responded, shooting Daisy a teasing look as she took mock offense at his comment.

“Don’t I know it, and call me Phil. None of this sir crap, I’m not even an agent anymore technically.”

“Alright, Phil.” Daniel chuckled, “Any chance of you calling me Daniel?”

“Eh and miss the chance to revel in the fact I know Agent Sousa of SHIELD fame? I’ll try my best.”

“Alright boys, I don’t know about you but I’m ready for a catch up over a drink. Which bar are we choosing?” Daisy interrupted their banter.

“Daisy, its 10:30 on a Thursday.” Coulson said checking his watch.

“Coulson, I’m on vacation, I’ll do whatever the hell I want. Plus, its Danny Boy’s turn to drive so I’m good.”

They took a seat in a nearby bar that had a good vantage point of the square, something three spies were always keen to play into, as if any trouble happened to find them as it so often did, they had a good tactical advantage. And they talked, they chatted about missions and distant planets they’d seen, while Coulson told them of his travels around the world. His reading tour around Ireland and his hike up to the base camp of Everest.

“Everest, really?” Daisy questioned, while sipping a colourful cocktail through a straw, squinting slightly as she got brain freeze, causing Daniel to chuckle.

“Yeah, it was one of those things I always wanted to do, but never got the chance. I joined SHIELD straight out of high school, it’s not like I really got the chance to explore outside of missions. So now I’m taking the time to just, be.” Coulson said solemnly, a slight look of wistfulness to his demeanour that Daisy hadn’t seen before.

“That’s a good thing though, everyone deserves a bit of time off,” Daisy said, briefly shooting a knowing look at her boyfriend as she said it, before flicking her eye back to her father figure placing a hand on his arm, “and you’ve more than earnt it at this point.”

“Thanks Dais. Now tell me about your visit to Fitz and Jemma’s, May mentioned some unexpected guests?”

Daisy launched into a run-down of updates on the little British family as well as the surprise that Bobbi and Hunter had brought with them, Daniel watched the pair as Phil listened intently, occasionally chipping into the rapid stream of conversation Daisy was pouring out. Over the past few weeks, he’d noticed a change in Daisy. In space, she was in command of Z3 and she was the impeccable in her role, strong and confident, but in the quiet moments with just the two of them, he saw the stress and worry she was holding in. It was easy to provide the support she needed, he felt he could read her like a book, and he was there every time she turned to him. There was clearly something she was missing though. She loved their mission, but a small part of her would turn around expecting Simmons or Yo-yo to laugh with her or May to shoot her a reassuring look, only to remember they weren’t there with them. But since they’re return to Earth, with every member of the original team they met, Daisy seemed more content. And right now, watching Daisy laugh and talk with Coulson, it was like the final piece of the puzzle was falling into place. She was fully relaxed and the smile she had across her face reflected the happiness that he could almost feel coming from her. For some reason, he found it impossible to draw his gaze away from her.

It was a couple of hours later, when Daisy left her boys to chat while she excused herself to go to the restroom. On her return she settled the bar tab they’d been running up, well mostly her. As she waited, she glanced across to see the two most important men in her life deep in conversation. She couldn’t tell what they were talking about as Daniel had his back to her current position, but she saw Coulson grinning before shaking the hand of her boyfriend. _That’s weird,_ she thought to herself. After paying up, she wandered back to their table, the conversation coming to an abrupt stop as she came into earshot.

“What are you talking about?” Daisy asked innocently, as they both turned to her.

“Politics.”

“Space.” They both spoke simultaneously, which was suspicious to Daisy.

“Ah, space politics?” she questioned, raising one eyebrow at Daniel, who had blushed immediately. “Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll figure it out.”

“I have no doubt you will.” Coulson teased lightly, earning him a look from both of them. Daniel cleared his throat and began to stand.

“I’m going to get the car, let you guys talk, I’ll meet you in like 15 at the spot Coulson told me about?” Daisy nodded and he pressed a kiss to her cheek before he ducked out of the bar. She watched him walk back across the square, the market beginning to close up now, the earlier crowd having passed through and left already.

“You’ve got it bad, Daisy.” Coulson stated, smirking at her. “You really love him, don’t you?”

She smiled shyly but answered truthfully, “I really do. It’s different to anything I’ve ever felt before, with Lincoln or Miles or he who must not be named. It feels like home, I feel safe with him, like I never have before.”

“I’m glad you guys found each other.” A beat passed between them, and Coulson put his hat back on his head, “Come on Quake, let’s take a walk.” Daisy rolled her eyes at the nickname. They exited the bar, walking side by side down the narrow streets towards the sea, basking in the midday sun as they wandered in a comfortable silence.

“Are you planning on going back to space when you get back?” Coulson asked.

“I’m not sure, I think we need some time here first. I want to be around to see the new Fitzsimmons baby when they’re born at least.” She said, pondering everything she’d been thinking about since they’d returned. “We’re gonna start looking for a house as well, something not too far from HQ hopefully.”

“Oh, so it’s that serious is it? Do I need to talk to Sousa about his intentions?” Coulson teased, as Daisy bumped his shoulder with hers.

“Oh, as if you haven’t already. And I’m pretty sure Mack did the same before we even got together.”

“Hey, that’s my duty. I’ve gotta look out for my girl.” He said, with a somewhat sincere tone, before he added. “Even though I know you could easily knock him on his ass if he did anything.”

Daisy chuckled, “To be fair, I would be more scared of what May would do if I was him.” Both of them laughed at that, knowing all too well that if it was even in the realm of possibility that Daniel Sousa would do anything to hurt Daisy, that May would ensure they’d never find the body. “What’s going on with you two anyway? May mentioned you go to dinner when you’re in town.” Coulson nodded and looked out towards the sea.

“We’re not the same people we were, but I still love her. She had a lot to deal with, with her new powers and the academy and everything. And I’m not human any more, which is difficult for the both of us.” He sighed but had a small smile on his face. “It’s open-ended, and completely her decision, it gets a little easier every time we see each other. So, we will see. I just want her to be happy.”

“I know she wants the same for you Coulson. So do I.” Daisy said, the pair of the coming to a stop at the sea front, taking in a deep breath of sea air. Leaning her head against his shoulder, she felt his head come to rest on top of hers.

“I really am proud of you Daisy, everything you’ve done and achieved, I couldn’t be prouder.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Coulson. If you hadn’t found me in that alley, who knows where I’d have ended up. I’d probably still be living in that smelly van.” She chuckled, as did he, as the sound of the waves crashing against the shore filled in the comfortable silence. They stayed like that for a while, nothing needing to be said.

“Oh, you know what you’ve not seen yet?” Daisy lifted her head at the question, to see Coulson pointing a little way down the street behind them. She smiled wide as she recognised the familiar red Corvette parked up.

“I can’t believe she survived everything. Doesn’t seem like it was that long since we fell out of a plane with her.” They wandered over to the car, Daisy running her hand along the perfect paintwork.

“You should see the upgrades Mack has made, they’re incredible.” Coulson said, flipping the keys in his hand. At that moment, Sousa pulled up in their rented convertible looking perfectly at home behind the wheel, the gentle breeze ruffling his hair ever so slightly. “I suppose you’ve got a flight to catch?”

“Yep, got a two hour drive to the airfield. You sure you don’t want to come with us?” Daisy said as Daniel came to stand beside her, an arm winding its way around her waist as he kissed her temple lightly, causing a soft smile to appear on her face.

“Nah, I’ve got a trip booked to go scuba diving next week, wouldn’t want to miss that.” Coulson replied with a smile, “But I will call when I’m in town in a couple of weeks, we can all get together?”

“You got it AC,” Daisy said, approaching her father figure and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. “I love you.” She whispered, barely audibly.

“Love you too. Don’t you forget it.” He said back, squeezing her closer. It never got easier for the two of them to go their separate ways after so many years of fighting to stay by each other’s side, but it was easier knowing they’d see each other soon.

As they parted, Daniel walked up and shook the older man’s hand.

“Good to see you, sir.” Daniel said.

“You too Sousa, remember what we talked about.” Daniel nodded in response, smiling as he ignored the confusion that crossed his girlfriend’s face. With a final goodbye, Daisy pulled Daniel a few steps back as Coulson got into his driver’s seat.

“Why are we stepping back?” Daniel asked, confused.

“Just wait.” Daisy said, nodding towards the car as Coulson put his sunglasses on. With one final knowing look to Daisy, the former director turned over the engine and flicked a switch on the dashboard. Daisy felt Daniel tightly grip her hand as the car transformed, the classic cherry red exterior being replaced by a darker metallic red with a sleeker, more modern design. A sharp inward breath was taken by Sousa as the car levitated above the ground. Chuckling as she saw Daniel’s jaw drop open, she tucked herself against his side, and raised her hand to wave goodbye as Lola shot off above the town.

“Now, that’s a flying car. Much better than Stark’s.” Daniel stated as he watched it fly away. Daisy laughed and turned to face him fully, realising she felt slightly tipsy from the numerous fruity cocktails she’d consumed in the past few hours. Settling her palms on his Hawaiian shirt covered chest, she stood up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips.

“What was that for?” He asked as she pulled away, smiling down at her.

“Thank you for letting me drag you around the world. And space.” She said, looking deep into those soft chocolate brown eyes.

“Wherever you are, that’s where I want to be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and all the lovely comment I've had make it all the more rewarding to write this.
> 
> I have an ongoing AU with these two on my page as well as a one shot of a Bobbi, Hunter and Mack reuniting that will be linked to this one when I write it! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! 💛

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments always appreciated!


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